A comparison of the South African approach to water resources management and planning with four international countries

Expanded Title:

South Africa has, for many years, managed its water resources in an efficient and effective manner. The infrequent requirement for water restrictions of strategic users in the major systems of the country, despite the semi-arid climate, is evidence of this. For many years, however, the South African approach to manage the water resources systems has been the same. To date, this is because the methodologies and techniques have always worked well for South African circumstances. It may, however, be the case that South Africa is lagging behind other countries in terms of water resources management and planning, and this should be established.
This document compares the South African approach to water resources management with four international countries, namely: Australia (New South Wales), Brazil, England and the USA (California). The overall objective is to determine whether or not South Africa can learn from other countries with similar water resources issues and improve the current methodologies, approaches and techniques based on their experiences.